Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

Edgar Allan Poe (born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre.

He is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and American literature as a whole, and he was one of the country's earliest practitioners of the short story. Poe is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.

He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

Poe was unable to support himself, so he enlisted in the United States Army as a private on May 27, 1827 using the name "Edgar A. Perry". He claimed that he was 22 years old even though he was 18.

He first served at Fort Independence in Boston Harbor for five dollars a month.